Slayers: A New Story
by Emiri-Tsukiyo
Summary: When a girl gets somehow thrown into the Sayers world, she looks for a way out...Like we haven't read that summary before... With the help of Lina Inverse and friends, can she get home? Who knows, I'm not trying hard on this summary. Xel/OC...?
1. Welcome to Wonderland

A/N Sooo….I know I'm usually dead on here, but I felt like writing this ^_^ w00~!

Though as I was typing this I dunno WHAT happened but I accidentally hit a few buttons and not only did erase everything I had typed (I was 5 pages in) but it closed the document…SO I couldn't salvage anything….and I hadn't saved…so I cried ._.;

But I retyped it and it's not as good as it was before, but hopefully you'll still like it (if you would've like it in the first place lol)

Oh well, enjoy~!

R/R

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><p>Lina was NOT having a good day.<p>

She had been traveling with her friends from Seiruun when out of nowhere they stumbled upon a girl. She was weird though, she looked very…out of place. She had weird clothes, and when she talked to them, Lina thought she was crazy.

The girl, Emily, said she was from another dimension and she asked for their help getting back. She also knew A LOT about them, Lina felt slightly creeped out by that. By some turn of events she was now traveling with them, mainly Amelia's insisting that they help her. Lina sighed, she didn't want to bother with this now and she could tell Zelgadis didn't either. Xellos though had been interesting, he had seemed very surprised, which was not a common sight. Gourry…was just confused, nothing new. She hoped things could get sorted out as they entered a city…

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><p>"…so let me get this straight," Lina started, having just finished three triple portioned dishes, "you're from another dimension…where WE'RE a cartoon?"<p>

"My favorite cartoon, yeah…I know it sounds stupid and insane, but…" Emily trailed off. How was she going to convince them? She hadn't a clue, but she figured she might as well start from the beginning.

"…well, I was sitting with my friend Alicia and we were on her laptop….which is a computer device that stores information, allows for communication, and can be used for recreational purposes such as art, music, writing entertainment, yada yada~…but anyway we were on it, it was raining outside, and the power went out.." "What do you mean?" Gourry asked, confused. Emily figured he'd ask something sooner or later.

"Well, my realm is more technologically advanced, way more advance than it is here, we don't have magic. So we use electricity, even a laptop needs it. The point of a laptop is that it's wireless and can be taken anywhere, but it DOES need to be plugged into be charged. Alicia had her laptop plugged in since we used it a lot and the battery started running low…when the power went out and then the laptop started acting…well, really weird…" Emily explained, remembering what happened…

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><p>FLASHBACK D:<p>

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><p>"…<em>Oi~…what's going on?" Emily asked, staring at the screen wide eyed. Alicia was leaning back far away from it, wide eyed as well and confused.<em>

"_I…don't know…" She said as the screen was flashing, suddenly words appeared on the screen and stunned them both:_

_**Here's you're chance to belong.**_

_Emily froze, swallowing and stared at the screen. Chance to belong? What did that mean?_

_Suddenly the screen flashed so brightly her eyes stung and they both screamed in panic as everything faded to white…_

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><p>END FLASHBACK :D<p>

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><p>"…Next thing I know I wake up and see you guys and now here I am." Emily finished, sighing. She didn't like talking a lot, it wore her out. She didn't mind getting into a good conversation, but she didn't like to initiate conversation nor talk too much in a single instant.<p>

They all stared at her, stunned and confused…and disbelieving slightly. She sighed and looked down, she knew they'd doubt, she would too. Though Xellos… he looked at her with open eyes, considering her carefully. She flushed, loving his eyes…he was her ultimate favorite character, and while she loved him (sad, she knows), she knew better. Also, he rarely opened his eyes, so she WAS concerned by that…but when he closed his eyes and looked at his tea in thought, she couldn't help but feel relieved and disappointed.

"…how do you know you weren't dreaming?" Lina asked, looking at her curiously.

"Well…I figure that this is either real or it IS a dream…but if that's the case, you guys are the dream…and no harm in going along with a dream." Emily said simply, to which Lina couldn't help but shrug.

"So you're hoping we'll help you?" Lina said, and Emily nodded, looking down.

"…you guys are the only ones I know, thanks to the cartoon…it showed your adventures, a lot of them. Slayers, the first season, was Lina meeting Gourry, Zelgadis, and eventually Amelia and focused on Rezo and Copy Rezo...Slayers Next, the second season, introduced Xellos and had the whole Gaav and Phibrizzo plot…Slayers Try had Filia and Valgaav…and there's more but you get the point." Emily said, shaking her head. They all looked surprised by this information, and Xellos seemed slightly uncomfortable. Emily did her research on her favorite show and characters ever, and she knew that Xellos wasn't the type to enjoy anyone knowing too much about him.

"You guys think I'm crazy and that's fine, I don't care if you believe me, but I would like your help in getting home," Emily said, "as much as I'd love to stay here with you guys…I don't…belong here…" She finished softly. She looked at her plate, not really wanting them to see her sadness though she knew it was obvious. She loved Slayers…she loved Lina and her selfish but sometimes considerate and strong ways, she thought Gourry was hilarious, she loved Zelgadis and his broodiness, and Amelia and her naïve but justice seeking heart. She loved Xellos, which she always figured was unhealthy since he wasn't supposed to be real…but she did.

She had been a Zelgadis fan and hated Xellos at first, but the Trickster Priest had stolen her heart and Zel was relegated to second favorite. Alicia was the Zelgadis fan between them now. Emily knew she'd outgrow it eventually (even though she WAS 18...kinda sad but whatever~) but for now this was her obsession. She was a nerd and proud of it!

Anyway back to the situation at hand, she looked up and noticed she had been silent for a long time as they all were staring at her slightly concerned. She needed to stop getting lost in thought…

"…we'll help you. Don't know HOW, but we'll help." Lina said finally. Emily looked at her in surprise, then happiness.

"Thanks so much!" Emily said beaming, she'd have done a little bow too if she were standing but she wasn't, she had a habit of doing that…she had a lot of habits though…

Amelia smiled wide and hugged her, expressing her happiness at making a new friend and being able to help said friend. Emily giggled a bit and resumed eating, keeping her focus away from Xellos. He made her so shy, she really needed to knock it off…oh well…

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><p>Once everyone was in bed Xellos teleported to Wolfpack island and went to speak with Zelas. This certainly had been an interesting day…that Emily girl was a strange one.<p>

At first he too didn't believe her, but after thinking about it he realized that there WAS more than one universe that the Lord of Nightmares created…Emily could be from anyone of them…Maybe there were more universes beyond the Lord's creation, Emily could very well be speaking the truth. He didn't know, but he figured he might as well believe her…well, if Zelas said to. He'd ask her opinion of course, she knew better than him.

Emily…he wasn't stupid, contrary to how he acted a lot. He could feel almost instantly that she had a crush on him. He was willing to bet that, since he was just a "character", he was her favorite. He had felt sick from the love and happiness when she looked at him, but he also felt sadness from her. He figured she knew that the chances of winning his "heart" were slim to none. She was a smart girl and obviously knew a lot about them and their realm, she probably researched it a lot. She probably knew more about him than the others did, which made him uncomfortable.

She was sweet, though, and pretty though not as pretty as Lina. She lacked the powerful emotions Lina had, and she was a little more awkward in expressing herself. She was shy, and he figured she'd be more upbeat when she warmed up to them, but she would still have that awkwardness. She didn't like to smile for too long, it would always falter he saw. She laughed a couple times and it had seemed really nice…but once she was done laughing the smile would linger a bit before it, too, would fade.

Xellos shook his head as he neared his Master's chambers. He was thinking too much about her, she was really just an ordinary girl. She may be from another dimension but that was it to her. She had no magic, she was shy and quiet, she really was background material. Xellos's thoughts stopped altogether as he went through Beastmaster's doors.

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><p>Emily got up begrudgingly, she did not like waking up early…well, she really didn't mind, but she had a weird sleep schedule, and until she could fix it she wouldn't like waking up early. She got dressed and freshened up and went down to find the others. They were all eating breakfast and Amelia waved her over. Emily smiled, while she wasn't sure about the others yet, she knew she could feel safe and friendly acceptance with Amelia so she went over and sat by her. She noted Xellos wasn't around; while she was a little saddened by this she knew Xellos was probably busy, maybe talking to Zelas about the current events. He'd be back soon enough…she hoped…<p>

Soon enough they set out on the road and Emily quietly listened to their chatter with a small smile. She responded when spoken to but other than that she usually liked to listen to people, she learned more that way.

After a bit Xellos appeared beside her and was walking with them, though the others paid him little attention. Emily had jumped when he appeared but smiled at him and he smiled back, just like normal. She looked on ahead, then slightly down as she let herself get lost in thought once again.

It was starting to sink it…she was alone here. Well, she hoped Alicia was around and that she'd run into her, but had her doubts. Alicia was probably worried to death about her, though, no matter where she was. She hoped she was okay too. While she'd love to stay here with the group…the fact was, she didn't belong here. She had no magical ability, she wasn't a "camper" really, she didn't know where she could live, and even though she hoped she could become friends with everyone, she knew she wouldn't last here and they'd probably get annoyed with her. She knew a lot about them, but they knew nothing about her and they had just met.

Emily started to feel sick, she always did when sadness overwhelmed her. She figured it was the same with a lot of people, but right now that wasn't important. She felt like crying but she held it back. One thing she learned growing up: There was a time and place for crying. Now wasn't the time nor place, she'd just hold it in until everyone was asleep, she'd be okay then.

Xellos looked at her from a side glance and noticed. He felt many emotions stirring in her, but he was surprised to feel waves of sadness and loneliness come from her. He found himself feeling bad for the poor girl, thinking about the situation as a whole, she was thrown into a world that while she knew it she didn't know it as well. She was essentially alone and he figured she was thinking about that. Maybe he'd try to be nice to her, be her friend. It'd make him feel sick slightly, but it'd only last until she went home. Xellos may be a mazoku, but he wasn't mean. Only if he had to be. He could be annoying, mainly to get his nourishment, but otherwise he kept to himself or was polite and friendly.

He looked at her more, not realizing he had been staring at her for five minutes, but the others hadn't noticed. He eventually resumed looking ahead with his usual expression in place, deciding to make an effort to be her friend. All the while Emily had been unaware, as she followed along, lost in her own dark but hopeful thoughts as they traveled on.

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><p>AN: Well how was that? Hope it was worth a read, more to come~ Hopefully I'll keep updating, well, if ya want me to~ I'm out~!

R/R


	2. Too Much Thinking

A/N: Hey, here's the next chapter~ originally it was all part of chapter 1, buuut I decided it'd make a better chapter 2, so here ya are. R/R~!

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><p>They settled down for camp eventually, Emily helped Amelia a bit and now they sat around a fire, eating and talking. Xellos had sat beside Emily, which made her blush but she calmed herself down and ate, enjoying the noise of everyone talking and being in good spirits. She participated a bit and her natural wit and sense of humor came out a couple of times, she had actually nearly brought Lina to tears in a fit of laughter at one point, making her blush and grin; she loved when she could make someone genuinely laugh.<p>

They all talked more before deciding to go to bed. Amelia and Lina had said she could sleep in their tent with them, but she wasn't ready to sleep yet so she told them she'd be in later. They simply shrugged and told her not to stay up too late and went to sleep. Emily stared at the dying fire a bit, forgetting almost that Xellos was still beside her.

Xellos looked at her, wondering what was on her mind. She thought a lot, maybe she was daydreaming. She looked so serious, though, it was unnerving. He also noticed she was shivering a bit, though she looked like she was trying to control it, he found it amusing. After a moment's consideration he unclasped his cloak and put it around her shoulders; her jump and her wide eyed face made him laugh out loud.

"T-Thanks…" she mumbled, embarrassed. She HAD forgotten for a moment that Xellos was there…and he surprised her by giving her his cloak, he must've seen her shivering despite her efforts to hide it. She was also surprised to hear him laugh, she knew her reactions could be funny to others but this was Xellos.

"It's fine, are you sure you shouldn't be getting to bed?" he remarked, she shook her head though.

"I don't sleep easily…I probably should try to sleep, but all I'd end up doing is laying awake until early hours anyway.." She sighed, "…besides…I want to sleep out here, anyway. I doubt there's a lot of room in those tents and I don't want to take up space…maybe if we become actual friends I wont mind, but for now…" she said, her voice softening. He looked at her for a moment, very slightly surprised by the consideration. He mostly figured she would be like that, but it was still a nice gesture.

"Well, you can use my cloak then to sleep with, if you're sleeping out here," he offered, smiling. She blinked and looked up at him, her heart pounding a bit. He could feel her emotions build a bit before she abruptly smashed them down; at least she was keeping herself from getting carried away. After a moment she smiled very sweetly, Xellos thought she should smile like that more often.

"Thank you, Mr. Xellos," she said, keeping her emotions in check. She knew Xellos could be nice, she was surprised he was being nice to her though, but she wasn't complaining. She just had to remember that's as far as it would go.

He nodded and looked at the fire, staying silent. She followed his gaze and did the same, not remembering what she was originally thinking about.

"…do you think you'll make it home?" He asked her suddenly, not looking at her. She took a minute to respond.

"…I don't know…I hope so…" she replied, her voice growing quieter. She really had no idea, it scared her a bit but she still had to try.

"…what would you do if you couldn't go home?" He looked at her this time, curious. She stayed silent as she thought, her eyes slowly wandering down to her feet. Confusion, anxiety, fear, sadness, loneliness, he felt them very strongly.

"…one can only belong if the environment is right for them and they are willing to belong," she spoke finally, though Xellos had to lean in to hear. "…while I would love to stay here…the thing is I DON'T belong here…you guys live your own lives and have found your places here…I don't know if I can even survive here, let alone find my place…I'm not good at a lot, I mean I have some talents, but I'm not good enough to make any sort of living off of them…I could go in for apprenticeship, but…I would always feel out of place, I think….In all honesty, I'll probably…just…" she trailed off again, she seemed to do that a lot, but she didn't feel like finishing her sentence.

Her eyes stayed on the ground, her sadness growing. Xellos stared at her, his eyes opened slightly. He had many ideas on how she would've finished that sentence, but he didn't bother thinking much on it. She was an interesting girl alright…very thoughtful in a way, with a little studying and work, she could be a philosopher though he didn't know how much of a living that'd really be. She could learn magic maybe, though he wondered if she even had the ability to, being from a realm where magic doesn't exist. His thoughts were cut short when he noticed slight movement from her.

She had looked at him like she had been about to say something but before he could look at her she was looking back at her feet again. He felt her nervousness….she felt stupid, he was curious.

"What is it?" he prompted her, she hesitated slight before peering up at him through her bangs. She looked rather cute doing that, though Xellos didn't dwell on it much.

"…could…is…is it possible...for humans to…you know…become mazoku?" She mumbled, turning red and look down more so her bangs hid her eyes. She felt really stupid for asking, it probably wasn't. While a human COULD make the pledge with a mazoku for immortality, she figured that was at far as it could go. She was still curious, though…maybe she could make a life of being a mazoku and following orders from whoever would take her. Who knows, she'd probably just end up dying even if it was possible but she could still try.

Xellos blinked at her in surprise, she wanted to be a mazoku? He grew serious as he thought about it. She had to know the ups and downs of it, and even being one of his "fans" (he felt strange saying that), he didn't peg her to be the type to want to be a mazoku.

"…yes…you can be a mazoku…you would just have to find one to change you…and you'd most likely be a half mazoku…I don't know if it's possible to become a full one." He said finally, she nodded, a flicker of hope sparking through her but it remained just that - a flicker.

She stayed silent for a long time as she thought to herself. In all honesty she wondered if she could convince Xellos to change her, or maybe ask Zelas to. She doubted it though, and she had no way of contacting the other two surviving lords; plus she had a snowball's chance in hell at convincing them. She didn't have to worry about it now, though, only if she had no way of getting home…

'What if you get Xellos to fall in love with you?' The optimistic side of her mind suggested, but she laughed a bit at the idea, feeling sadness take her again. 'Right…like that'd happen, I'd have better luck convincing Dynast to make me a mazoku…' she sighed, feeling her eyes water. Oh great, she thought, she was starting to cry, and next to Xellos too. How pathetic…

'You're pathetic..' a quiet voice said and her head craned lower. A tear dropped and landed on her hand and her jaw clenched. Stop crying, she mentally yelled at herself, you're being stupid! 'Dammit, stop it Emily…' she mentally begged herself but her emotions and body wouldn't listen as they still threatened to fall.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her back and looked up at Xellos, bewildered. She forgot him for a second, but here he was looking at her concerned, his eyes staring directly into hers. Suddenly she felt ashamed of herself, realizing that while she was stunned with Xellos tears began to fall without her noticing. She looked away, wide eyed and desperately rubbing her the tears away, covering her face. 'STUPID', ' WEAK', 'PATHETIC' kept raging in her head but she ignored the self abusing words. She had a bad habit of thinking like that at her low moments but she couldn't help it, especially now.

Xellos moved closer and gently rubbed her back, something very uncharacteristic of him but she liked it. She still avoided looking up at him as she tried to stop crying, though now that the tears started falling she had a hard time stopping them. He probably was feeding off of her sadness, she wasn't stupid enough to think otherwise, but she wondered why he'd go through the trouble of trying to comfort her. He could be nice, she knew, but why to her?

Maybe he was ordered to be her friend or something….but then that didn't make sense, what purpose would Zelas have for her? Maybe Zelas could find a purpose in their journey, who know what she could do in another universe if they DID find away home for her, but that didn't mean Xellos had to be nice, that just mean he had to tag along. So why bother?

Xellos stared at her, concern growing as her shoulders shook more, but she had never been more silent than now. He saw her desperately try to stop and he felt her sadness and shame, and he was shocked by it all. What had brought this on? Maybe she had been holding it in and all of the stress and fear and finally decided to let itself out, maybe it was something else, too, but he knew that the first one had to be a factor. Whatever was the case, he felt unnerved by seeing her like that. Plus he did decide to try being nice to her, so he did what he could to comfort her though he didn't know what to do really. She like it when he rubbed her back, but it still did little to help.

He was getting his fill, it was true, but he did honestly prefer rage or anger to sadness. He always hated seeing anyone sad, it bothered him. That's why he annoyed and bothered everyone, anger didn't last as long usually. Sadness was more subtle and lingering, though, and all in all he did not like sadness.

Now that he thought about it, he did know of a few ways he could cheer her up, but really that'd just be leading her on. He wouldn't do that, and in the end it'd just make her hurt more unless he meant it, which he didn't. Suddenly he froze in his thoughts at that last one.

He wouldn't mean it…would he? No, of course not, they just met, and besides, he's a mazoku. Mazoku don't love, they can't, maybe he'd feel physical attraction to her but never love.

'But Mazoku can feel happiness, can't they?' Xellos frowned, he didn't like where these thoughts were going, but they pushed on. 'They can feel happiness and passion and lust…so why not love? It'd hurt to feel it but that doesn't mean they can't.'

Stop, he told himself and his thoughts ceased. This was getting out of hand. They had just met, she was a lonely girl who ended up in another world and wanted to go home. He was a mazoku who did as he was told and decided to be a little nice to this girl so she wouldn't feel so sad. The only reason he was thinking about anything at all was because she was fairly pretty and she had feelings for him. That was it, nothing would happen, she'd either go home or maybe he'd be nice enough to change her if she really wanted and if she asked.

He looked at her and realized that hardly a couple minutes had passed, she was still struggling and he remembered what he was doing. Now she was clutching her chest subtly and he realized it was intense enough to hurt her physically. After a moments hesitation her slowly put his arms around her and she started, shocked by the action. Instead of questioning it however she clung gently to him and he hugged her tighter. He could really feel her shaking now and he continued rubbing her back while she slowly forced herself to stop. A while passed before she finally settled down and the pain was numb.

She pulled away slowly, somewhat reluctantly, and her eyes were red. He noted that it DID bring out her green eyes somewhat, he also noticed thanks to them that her eyes were two different colors, green with a hazel ring around the pupils, interesting. She looked at him, her shame growing once again.

"I'm so sorry, Xellos…" She said quietly, avoiding his eyes slightly. He shook his head and rested a gentle hand on her head, smiling at her slightly.

"It happens, I don't blame you. Beside, I could tell you were holding that in all day," He replied and she blushed slightly, her breathing still shallow from crying, "…you should get some sleep, you look exhausted."

"'Kay…" She said softly, and he smiled at the childish sound it had. He moved over and helped her lie down and wrapped up in his cloak. She faintly smiled before curling up in the smallest ball he'd ever seen an 18 year old make.

"Thank you, Xellos…" she said, sleep lacing her voice as she closed her eyes, he smiled at her and nodded. Soon enough she was out like a light. Xellos look at her for a bit before looking away and thinking to himself for the rest of the night.

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><p>AN: Yeah, I know, Xellos's is being weirder than usual, but eh, it's a fan fiction story~ Also I can sometimes have terrible pacing but I'll work on it~ Hope you guys like it though, R/R!


	3. Hemophobia and more Thinking

A/N: What's this? I'm updating? Well, it's hardly been a day so don't be too surprised. But for now let's read~! R/R

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><p>The next day the group had got up and ready, Emily spent a few minutes trying to save her hair with a comb she luckily had on her from before. Thanks to Amelia using a few little magic charms she managed to look freshened up, her hair somehow clean looking. She always wondered how they always kept their appearance up while they were traveling and there was no hot spring or bath around. She was letting Amelia comb her hair now.<p>

"You have really soft hair, Emily! It's cute." Amelia complimented as she combed gently through the short, auburn locks. Emily blushed a bit, she was always self conscious and wanted her hair to look at least decent wherever she went. Still, though, she was shy about receiving compliments and tended to get slightly worked up, Alicia and her other friends tended to tease her about it, saying it was "cute" how she reacted.

"It's not much…I can usually style it better…" she mumbled in reply, her hair was simple. Her whole appearance was simple, really. She was pale skinned, though not really in an unhealthy way she was glad to say. She just couldn't tan easily, it must've been the Irish and German in her…she was also really thin. She actually worried about her weight a lot, worrying about getting too skinny because she was such a picky eater and had a high metabolism, but she guessed for now that wasn't important while she was here.

She had short auburn hair with bangs that kissed her brows. She used to have long hair down her back with long bangs but she chopped it all off in exchange for a new look and for bangs that she hadn't had since she was a little girl. She liked her hair, though, all the same; she was just waiting for it grow back out long again, she would just keep the bangs. That was her plan, anyway…

"There, all done! You look so cute, Miss. Emily!" Amelia said, beaming at her handiwork. Emily just turned redder, but smiled.

"Thanks, Amelia." Emily replied shyly. Soon enough they were all packed up and traveling once again. Emily lingered in the back again with Xellos, she still felt embarrassed about last night but she was glad he had been so nice to her. She handed him back his cloak earlier, receiving a strange look from everyone as she did so. Xellos had smiled at her and took it back, responding to everyone by saying she had fallen asleep outside and he lent her his cloak. Everyone accepted it and went on with their day except for Zelgadis who gave them both a suspicious look before following suit.

"That's Zelgadis for ya…" She said to herself, though Xellos couldn't resist a grin as he clasped his cloak back on and walked off.

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><p>It was quiet for the most part…that was until a sudden explosion to their front left caused them all to leap back. Emily was glad she at least didn't stumble as she avoided it, though she nearly had a heart attack at the scare.<p>

"Great, bandits…" Lina mumbled in annoyance, and it was true. Suddenly a gang of bandits came out for the trees, surrounding the group with sinister grins and laughs. Emily did not like the situation one bit.

"Give us your money and valuables and we might let ya go…" said one of them, appearing to be the leader. Lina just sighed and shook her head.

"You guys never learn, do you?" Lina said, next thing Emily knew Lina had a fireball in her hand and had thrown it into the largest cluster. She couldn't help but grin as the bandits were thrown in all different directions when it went off, they all had burnt faces.

"What the hell?" The Bandit leader cried before getting angry and lunging at Lina. Of course, Gourry stepped in the way with his sword and blocked him.

"Sorry, can't let you harm her, I'm her guardian." Gourry said with a smirk, and the two proceeded to fight. Emily just slipped behind the trees and watched from a distance, knowing there wasn't anything she could do. Zelgadis was taking on his own cluster and Amelia had just casted a Diem Wing at another group; Lina, of course, took on the majority, Emily was surprised she hadn't used a Dragon Slave yet but eh, there's more to Lina that just violent explosions and ungodly appetites. Xellos was no where to be seen, she wasn't surprised by this.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped, turning pale as she whipped around to come face to face with an ugly brute.

"Think you can hide from us, eh?" He said with a toothy grin, "You're a pretty little thing…bet we could make a lot off of you…" Emily nearly gagged on his breath but she was a little too scared and now sickened to think about that right now.

As he grabbed her arms, she struggled violently by reflex until he slammed her into the tree trunk and knocked a little sense out of her. She felt dizzy now but at least she was still conscious, she didn't want to pass out at a time like this. Suddenly a hand tapped on the bandit's shoulder. He blinked stupidly and turned to meet a fist to the face, dropping her in the process. The bandit flew back and hit his head on a nearby stone, knocking himself unconscious. She blearily looked up to see Xellos with a smile on his face, though it seemed a bit forced as he stared at the fallen brute.

"Xellos..?" She said in a daze, shaking her head a bit to try and regain her senses though all it did was hurt her head more. She clutched her head in pain and annoyance, she felt stupid again. Xellos had save her…why? Well, he was probably keeping up the nice bit she guessed, though the look on his face surprised her. He had looked angry at the bandit…but then again, she just had her head slammed into a tree, she probably wasn't seeing right.

"Are you alright?" Xellos asked her, concerned as he kneeled beside her and gently checked her head for any bleeding. She lightly nodded, careful not to make the ache worse.

"Yeah, I'm fine….thanks…" she said, though she held the back of her head tightly. He frowned and pried her hands away to see a patch of blood. She brought her hands to her vision and paled, wide eyed.

She was very hemophobic.

Xellos sensed a rising panic in her and looked at her face. She was staring transfixed at the blood on her hands, her eyes glassy. He guessed she really didn't like blood. He also noticed she started to hyperventilate, he had to snap her out of it. He gently tilted her head up to look at him, she was on the brink of tears.

"Calm down, Emily," he said calmly but firmly, "it's just a little blood…you'll be okay…Amelia can take care of it, we'll get you cleaned up."

She forced herself to breath and slowly nodded, keeping the tears at bay. He smiled a bit, glad she was at least stronger than she looked, and helped her up. She focused her mind on other things and looked over. All the bandits were scattered about, dead, unconscious, she didn't know. Many of them had bolted for their lives as Lina dusted herself off, she seemed relaxed. Xellos brought her out and called Amelia over. When she showed up she gasped at the blood.

"What happened?" she cried out, gently taking her wrists instead of her hands and looking her over. Xellos explained the situation and Amelia set right to work on healing her. Emily avoided looking at her hands and stared straight ahead. She really didn't' like blood. While she had gotten use to seeing it in movies, she couldn't stomach medical scenes or hospitals, nor the sight of her own blood when she was injured like this; which wasn't often, thankfully. Paper cut? She was fine, no sweat. Blood from the back of the head where her brain and many nerves were? Not so much.

Soon enough though Amelia had it healed and was leading her to a nearby stream to wash off the blood. Emily still avoided looking at it. After a few minutes the blood was washed away and all that was left was a faint scar that her hair hid. Emily finally relaxed.

When they got back to the others she noticed Xellos was in deep thought with a slight frown. Deciding not to ask about it, since she doubted it was any of her business, she kept quiet and smiled at Lina when she noticed her.

"Hey, you okay?" Lina asked, Emily just nodded.

"I'm fine, just a little head trauma." Emily replied and Lina grinned.

Xellos looked at her and smiled, he was glad to see she was okay and wasn't panicked about the blood anymore. After some more discussion and Lina sifting through the loot she got from the bandits they traveled on.

* * *

><p>Emily was still slightly wobbly from the blood loss though she tried to hide it, but Xellos merely put a hand around her, resting on her shoulder and let her use him for balance. He saw the blush she tried to hide but he didn't mind it. He was lost in his own thought.<p>

That bandit had tried something he doubt Emily had noticed in her daze. Something that set Xellos off more than he'd care to admit. After the man had slammed her into the tree, he had her pinned, he started reaching for places that he doubted Emily would've allowed had she been aware. Xellos's FIRST reaction was to swing his staff and slam it into the guys head, hopefully knocking it off. He had, however, contain himself and opted for a simple punch to the face. Not entirely his style still, but he was a little too angry to go with anything less.

Seeing the way she swayed as she still walked only served to remind him of it. He was a little mad at himself as well for not actually being by her side in the first place. Normally he didn't get involved in Lina's brawls but somewhere along the road he had taken the young girl by his side in as a ward.

He didn't understand though why he had gotten as upset as he did. Was she really starting to mean anything to him? How typical would it be, a girl coming from another world ends up lost and both the mazoku and her fall in love and live happily ever after. It almost made Xellos want to vomit. Yet here he was, feeling concerned over her well being and very much aware that she was in love with him.

Of course that didn't mean he loved her back.

No, he didn't, he couldn't. 'You could,' said his mind, but she simply told it be quiet. He didn't and wouldn't, he rephrased himself. Perhaps she was becoming a good friend of his, perhaps he was concerned over a friend's life. That was plausible, most certainly. He was certain that was the case, after all, she was still new, she was a nice girl, easy to get along with, of course he'd be her friend especially after resolving to do so.

He wouldn't want anyone messing with his friend against her will. It was only natural.

Finally having his thoughts put to rest, he looked at the girl herself to see that she was growing tired but was silent. She was a trooper, he supposed. He looked ahead at the others to find the others lost in conversation while Amelia read the map to make sure they didn't get lost again. So he turned to move in front of Emily.

She blinked up at him in confusion, but he smiled at her before kneeling down and motioning for her to get on his back. She faintly blushed, but she smiled gratefully and nodded, moving around and carefully doing so. He picked her up, made sure she was secure, and continued on after the others.

He ignored the way she rested her head gently on his shoulder. He ignored the simple joy she was feeling. He ignored his thoughts as they once again started to act up and really question his "feelings."

He just kept smiling and walking along while she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>It'd be another day's travel before they reached a city, so there they were camping once again. Emily still hadn't awaken so they let her sleep. Xellos had set her down in one of the tents after Amelia had set them up and let her rest. He merely sat beside her as she rested, watching over her. He didn't know why he was there, maybe it was to ease his conscious and make sure she really was okay. After a long period of silent thinking, took off his cloak once again and put it over her. She faintly smiled in her sleep and gently clutched it, he smiled a bit and brushed aside a strand of her hair from her face.<p>

'How loving,' said his mind and he frowned, pulling his hand away. Don't be ridiculous, he told himself. He then heard Lina say she was going to sleep, guess it was time his time to leave. He took one last look at Emily before teleporting out of there, just in time for Lina to enter the tent and wonder why Emily had Xellos's cloak around her once again.

* * *

><p>AN: Well how was that? Am I keeping your attention? Do you even like it? I dunno, but yeah. ^_^ Until next time~

R/R


	4. Intimacy

A/N: Still on a slight kick. I have no idea where I'm going with this story though, to be honest, I'm just making stuff up as I go. I do that a lot though ^_^ Oh well, read on~! R/R

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><p>Emily once again woke up with Xellos's cloak. She blinked, not sure how she got a hold of it. Xellos must've given it to her while she was asleep…why? She shook her head, she should be used to this by now, it IS Xellos after all, and he's been acting stranger than usual lately as it is. She liked his cloak anyway, she always wanted it for herself, but of course asking for it would be silly.<p>

She got up and found Amelia who once again cheerfully helped her freshen up and do her hair, being careful to avoid the still sensitive scar on her head. She saw Xellos sitting off to the side, smiling at everyone as they got up and ready, just like routine. She shyly went over to him and held out the cloak to him just like she had before.

"Thank you, Mr. Xellos…" She said, trying to avoid blushing again. He looked at her thoughtfully before smiling and taking it. Before she could walk away however he threw it around her and clasped it in place. She blinked in surprise and looked at him.

"You can borrow it for now, besides I can keep better track of you while you're wearing it." He said simply, smiling at her. She couldn't stop the full blush that graced her face and looked down at her feet, mumbling her thanks. Why did she have to blush so much? It was REALLY getting on her nerves.

He gave a light laugh and stood as everyone seemed to be ready. Rather than question his actions, they simply continued onward, deciding that it wasn't important why Xellos gave his cloak to the girl.

He got up and followed, Emily trailing behind which he found was oddly cute. He really needed to stop thinking that way.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until the late afternoon that the gang arrived in a quaint little town and checked into an inn tavern. Lina and Gourry where both scarfing their food down at hazardous rate while Zelgadis, who attempted to start a conversation with them at first, was waiting "patiently" for them to finish. Amelia meanwhile tried to start a conversation with Zelgadis but he was already exasperated with Lina ignoring him to really bother anymore.<p>

Xellos sat beside Emily once again, it was starting to become habit for him. Amelia had started talking to her instead since Zelgadis was a lost cause, both of them seemed really happy. Xellos was glad Emily could get along with someone other than him, not that it was hard to get along with Amelia.

Lina eventually filled her stomach completely and talked to the irritated chimera, who was talking about some book he had recently heard rumors about that appeared out of nowhere and was very powerful, it apparently appeared in a temple in some western mountain range and now they were guarding it. Xellos wondered if the book and Emily had anything to do with each other…he'd figure it out soon enough.

He looked over and saw Emily beginning to doze off in her seat. She sure slept a lot, he wondered how long she could sleep if uninterrupted. He nudged her gently and she snapped out of it a bit and looked at him.

"Huh? What is it?" she mumbled, her eyes beginning to droop again though she tried to stay awake. He smiled, amused.

"You're falling asleep, perhaps you should go to bed." He commented, and after a moment's thought she nodded in agreement. She lazily stood and slipped away to head upstairs to her room, leaning around as she did though she never seemed to fall or trip. Xellos watched her quietly go before standing himself while the other three were preoccupied and followed.

* * *

><p>Emily entered her room and locked the door behind her, making her way over to the bed and lying down. It felt good to be in an actual bed, not that she had to be without one for very long. Xellos's cloak draped over her and went past her feet, she nuzzled into it slightly and breathed quietly. It smelled nice, she wondered if it was him or the cloak. She felt stupid again for smelling his cloak.<p>

She couldn't help it though, she wanted to memorize everything about him, she didn't ever want to forget. He smelled nice, comforting even which was weird for a mazoku. He had been so nice to her, he protected her, he was funny but serious and dark, sweet and nice but he was dangerous…

He was dangerous. She had to remember that. Just because he was nice now didn't mean he wouldn't turn on you if he had to or wanted to.

Oh, but how she wanted him. It was so stupid, SHE was stupid for wanting something that wouldn't happen, couldn't happen.

'But,' said that other side in her mind, sometimes she wondered if she was schizophrenic or something, 'here you are in a world that wasn't supposed to exist, with your favorite characters, your favorite character, to be exact. He's being nice to you and taking care of you. There's nothing wrong with a little hope and dreaming. It may never happen, but you can always be friends. He seems to want that, right?'

She softly smiled, that's right, she told herself. They were friends…she guessed, anyway. She wasn't sure of his side on the matter but he was her friend. She may be a fan girl and a hopeless romantic, but she very much valued friendship.

Besides, she had to make it home. She couldn't take him with her so what was the point in letting anything begin? 'You don't have to go home,' said her mind but she ignored it. She had to go home. She had a life there, she couldn't throw it all away, could she? She'd just be happy with how things were now.

* * *

><p>She had almost fallen asleep while thinking; she jumped as she felt the bed shift, she looked over to find Xellos sitting beside her. She almost wondered how he got in but of course that'd be a stupid question to ask.<p>

"Xellos?" she ask, confused as to why he was there.

"Hello Emily," he responded cheerfully, she just stared at him. She was growing more confused by the minute, was he going to tell her why he was there? Did he have a reason?

"…why are you here?" she decided to ask it out loud, but he just smiled wider (which looked comically adorable) and raised a finger. Ah dammit.

"It's a secret!" He responded with his ever famous catchphrase. She sat up and face palmed herself. Of course it was, she had forgotten he said that for some reason.

"You nut job…" she mumbled, looking at him between her fingers before putting down her hand. He just looked at her curiously. Why? "So…how are you?" She asked, just going with it.

"I'm fine, I just wanted to make sure you got to bed alright." He replied, smiling. She blushed a bit and fidgeted with her hands a bit.

"Oh…thank you." She was slightly surprised he'd check on her, but considering how he'd been acting since they met, she should get used to it.

He continued to stare at her while she looked at her hands. She was brushing her knuckles together repeatedly, a nervous habit he assumed. She seemed to have a few habits, actually, he wondered how many more she had. He was also curious about her earlier action when he had said his usual phrase. She seemed to be a different person for that split second, the way she spoke and looked at him. She had seemed more relaxed…he wondered if that was a glimpse of her normal self? Guess he'd have to find out.

She finally looked up at him to see him staring at her, lost in thought. What was he thinking about? She didn't have the nerve to pry, instead she decided to go out on a limb towards her usual persona - she poked his arm. He snapped out of it and blinked at her, she just looked up at him, not really sure what to say.

"…why did you poke me?" he asked, puzzled. She just shrugged.

"You were being quiet…and I didn't know how else to get your attention without being rude or loud…" she said simply, though her cheeks were red. She felt stupid for doing that now, but she did have a weird habit of poking people to get their attention or when she didn't know what to say to them. He just looked at her funny before smiling. Suddenly his smile turned playful.

"You wanted my attention?" he said slyly, she turned a deep red at that. He kept himself from laughing at the instant blush, she started doing that nervous habit with her hands again.

"S-So what, you're the one in my room, of course I figure I might as well talk to ya!" she cried out, embarrassed. He laughed a bit before poking her forehead.

"Whatever you say…" he said simply, she got flustered and pouted. He liked seeing her get worked up like this, it was extremely cute.

"Damn right, whatever I say…" she muttered under her breath, loud enough for him to hear. He grinned at her, seeing her fold her arms and scowl as she looked away. He wondered how far he could get her to open herself up.

"…you know, you're really cute when you pout." He told her, being honest surprisingly. She turned redder and scowled more, glaring at him. He liked that glare.

"And you're a fruitcake!" She retorted. He blinked, fruitcake? He just shook his head and grinned again.

"I'm just being honest, you should thank someone when they compliment you." he chided her, enjoying the way she huffed up. This was fun!

"Yeah, well, it's you so stop being an idiot!" she smacked his arm. He raised a brow at her, smirking deviously.

"Want to try that again?" he said, his voice taking a dangerous but playful edge. She blushed a bit, he felt a rise in her emotions but she ignored them.

"My pleasure." She said calmly and smacked him harder. His smirk grew as he opened an eye at her, he noticed her breath catch but she continued glaring at him.

"That's not very nice, I think you should make it up me." He told her coyly. It was her turn to raise a brow as she crossed her arms.

"Make it up to you? How?" she inquired, but he shrugged.

"I dunno, that's up to you." He said plainly, smiling wide. She rolled her eyes at him and sighed. She was silent for a moment as an idea came to her, her cheeks tinting slightly. He blinked at her as she stayed quiet for a long minute, wondering what she was thinking about when suddenly she peered up at him through her bangs. She looked really cute when she did that…he was just about to tell himself to shut up about that when suddenly she moved.

She grabbed either side of his face and kissed him hard. His eyes flew open and he froze. It only lasted for a few seconds before she pulled herself away fast and before he could even process it she was as far away from him as she could be while still on the bed, hugging her knees and hiding her face except for her eyes to watch him for what he'd do next.

He didn't move an inch, his eyes stayed transfixed and he hardly breathe as his mouth just hung loosely open. She had seriously just done that. He had NOT been expecting that in the slightest.

She completely threw him off guard, he was surprised she even had the nerve to do that. He was surprised that, for a 3 second hard kiss it had been actually nice, it wasn't sloppy or rough…he was also surprised to find that he had liked it. A lot.

He hadn't moved for five minutes before he realized so, he slowly closed his mouth and peered over at her only to find she hid her face entirely. He felt overwhelming fear and sadness radiate from her, he was surprised her hadn't felt it before. She was silent and unmoving, even as he carefully inched his way toward her.

After a minute he was in front of her, he slowly reached a hand out and grabbed one of her wrists. He moved it out of the way along with the other and she let her legs stretch out a bit though her head hung low. She was very silent, and judging by the few wet spots on the knee part of her pants he was right in thinking she started crying. He felt somewhat guilty as he realized she had been sitting there the whole time waiting on his reaction, which he hadn't given right away.

He stared at her for a long time before she slowly raised her head just enough to look up at him through her bangs. She noticed he looked very serious as he watched her, but he didn't look angry or disgusted, just serious. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved by that or not but her heart was pounding very hard and she had never felt more pathetic.

Why did she do it? She didn't know. The thought popped into her head while she had been thinking of a response to him, and suddenly she had the urge. 'Why not,' her mind had told her, 'It could be the only chance you get, at least you could have something from him before you go home.' Of course maybe it would've been better to have done it right before she would've gone home, then she could've ran off and not have to see his reaction. She didn't do that, though, instead she did it right here and now she was terrified of him hating her.

Even if he didn't hate her, he would probably distance himself. He wouldn't let it happen again, he wouldn't give her a moment alone with him like he had before. He probably might try to end their friendship, if not now than soon or perhaps slowly over time.

She was terrified.

He could feel her fear very strongly, he could only guess at why but he knew he'd be right. After a long time he reached out and gently lifted her chin more to look at him. She was brave enough at least to look him in the eyes now that he did that, but his mind was on other things. She held very still as his hand slid to the side of her face, caressing it almost.

He really liked that kiss. It had been too short for his liking. After a moment more passed he leaned over and closed the distance between them. He felt her shaking slightly and in response he pressed into her lips harder and took pleasure in her clutching his shirt. His hand went to the back of her head and his other arm wrapped around her as he laid them both down, deepening the kiss as he pried her mouth open and succeeded. She tasted very sweet as he carefully explored, he moaned slightly when she whimpered a bit. He pulled away finally to give her time to breath, she panted slightly and stared up at him with a dazed expression, another blush staining her face permanently.

He liked that kiss even more.

"…Emily…" he said, his voice very soft but she heard, "…You do know…the likelihood of me ever sharing your feelings…" She swallowed quietly but nodded, he could feel her heart beating fast.

"…I can't promise you anything…but if you can accept that, I'd be fine with starting something with you." He told her, staring at her seriously once again. He could practically feel her heart flutter, he noticed her tremble slightly for a moment as she nodded once again. After a moment more of watching her, checking to see if she was really sure, he slowly smiled at her. She slowly, shyly but sweetly smiled back, her sadness fading away entirely. Though the fear faded as well it still lingered very faintly, he wasn't surprised by it.

He kissed her again and for the while her fear disappeared altogether.

* * *

><p>AN: Ah…good old intimacy, gotta love it…yep, I suck at pacing, but oh well~ Tell me what you think~ R/R~


	5. Wishing and Contemplating

A/N: AANNNDD Here's chapter 5~! So yeah… Here ya go~! ^_^

Not much to say lol.

R/R~!

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><p>Emily woke up the next morning to find a pair of arms wrapped around her. Her heart skipped a few beats as she realize who it was.<p>

"So you're awake?" Xellos asked, peering over her shoulder at her. She blushed but smiled wide.

"Yeah, I am…you stayed?" She was surprised to find him there, it was true. He nodded and kissed her temple, which was also strange but she wasn't complaining.

"Yes, I'm still here…did you sleep well?" He shifted as she rolled onto her back and threw an arm over her face. She was a little self conscious at letting him see her like this.

"Yeah, I did…" She said softly. He gently moved her arm much to her discomfort but he smiled at her.

"You look fine, trust me. So far you haven't woke up looking terrible." He assured her. She blushed and nodded, honestly feeling a little better.

After laying in bed a while longer and talking they finally got up; she went to the bathroom down the hall and got washed up, she did her hair and was happy to be able to do it herself, though she did like having Amelia help her too.

He waited for her and smiled at her when she came out, she felt nearly ecstatic at having him there. It was like a dream come true! 'Dreams have to come to an end, though, remember that.' said her mind. For once she didn't ignore it. Even if that's the case, she was going to enjoy this while it lasted. They went downstairs together and joined the others for breakfast.

* * *

><p>"Let's get a move on!" Called out Lina as she led the way, excited after talking with Zelgadis about the mysterious book. She wanted to read it and see what kind of information it held.<p>

"Oi, Lina, slow down, where are we going anyway?" Gourry asked, having forgotten already in the first five minutes of their setting out. Lina rolled her eyes at him.

"We're on our way to Solaria, not far from here good thing!" replied Lina, not stopping. Gourry still looked confused but he didn't question anymore.

Emily was fairly excited herself. She had been paying attention to Zelgadis and Lina's conversation, and this book might be her ticket home. 'Do you really want to leave?' said that voice. She looked down slightly, ignoring her mind. She didn't want to think about that right now. She jumped slightly when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, she looked up to see Xellos faintly smiling at her, though a look of concern crossed his features.

She still couldn't believe she had Xellos. She smiled up at him, assuring him she was okay. He nodded and looked on ahead though he left his hand where it was. Not that she minded of course.

The more they traveled on, the more she wanted to stay here. Even if she didn't belong here…she didn't want to leave her new friends or Xellos. 'You have your family and other friends waiting for you, though.' said that damned reasonable voice. She knew it was right, but she still couldn't help but wish…she wished so badly.

She had to stop, though. Wishing only got people hurt in the end, mainly themselves. She leaned against Xellos and felt him slide his arm around her subtly. She smiled and felt more at ease. Her thoughts could wait, right now they were on an adventure and she did really want to see this book that appeared out of nowhere. It probably did have to do with her, she wouldn't be surprised. Of course she'd only get to look at it after Lina had her look.

* * *

><p>They were close to Solaria, but night had fallen and they decided that camping out once before they reached the city wouldn't do any harm. As Amelia put it, it could be there last chance to bond with their new friend. Emily would miss Amelia, though Amelia had annoyed her before with her continuous justice speeches, she had always found Amelia sweet and now the princess had really won her way into the girl's heart.<p>

Emily sat beside Xellos as they ate away and talked, swapping a few stories and idle chat. Emily would miss this as well, she had always loved the idea of traveling with one's friends like this. She joined in on some conversation herself, she even talked to Zelgadis a bit who had started to warm up to her despite her attachment to Xellos. She was really glad. Suddenly she had a thought, she pulled Xellos down to whisper in his ear.

"Hey, Xellos…" she began, nervous about sounding like an idiot, "…you remember how Phibrizzo said he could've ripped out the human part of Gaav but he did because Gaav wouldn't have been loyal?" Xellos blinked at her, nodding slightly.

"Yes, I remember…" he said slowly. She went on.

"…is it possible to rip out other parts of someone?" She asked. He raised a brow as realization dawned on him. He thought for a moment before answering.

"…yes, it is…however I don't have that power…and while Master Zelas may be able to, I doubt she'd do it for free…and while Zelgadis is willing to do a lot to get his cure, I don't know how he'd feel about Beastmaster helping him…" Xellos said softly. Emily nodded, looking down slightly.

"I know…what do you think Zelas would ask of him?" she asked, but he simply shrugged, unsure himself. He may be her servant but he only knew so much, Zelas liked it that way.

"Hm…well, maybe you could ask her about it? If it's something you think Zelgadis could agree to…" She said quietly, fidgeting with her hands a bit. He smiled at her, gently taking her hands and setting them down.

"I'll ask her." He told her calmly. She smiled up at him, glad she had at least not made a fool of herself…well, she didn't know, Xellos could just be humoring her, but at least he wasn't letting her know.

She really wanted to help Zelgadis. While she thought he looked cool the way he did now, and still handsome in her and Alicia's opinion, she couldn't blame him for wanting his human form back. She didn't know if she could be of any use but she figured she might as well try. Who knows, maybe the book really did have a cure for him as well as a way home for her. Guess she'd just have to wait and see.

She talked with Lina a bit, asking a few questions about magic and sharing her own knowledge which was surprisingly vast thanks to all of the articles and Slayers encyclopedias she read. Even Xellos was surprised by the amount she knew.

Eventually though the night came to a close and one by one everyone went to bed except for Emily. She felt restless again and she was partially dreading having to leave. She didn't know if it'd be tomorrow of course, but nonetheless…

Xellos kissed her cheek once they were alone. She smiled up at him, feeling her heart flutter again. He smiled back and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and she leaned against him. She felt like everything was perfect now.

"Are you sure you want to go home?" he asked quietly, staring at the fire still going. She sighed, shrugging slightly.

"I don't want to, to be honest…but I have to…" she said, sadness taking her once again. He rested her head on her and frowned.

"Says who?" he asked her, "I see no reason why you can't stay."

"I have a family and other friends worrying about me…I have life, I can't just abandon it…and even if I could, I couldn't do that to everyone back home…" she said, her voice growing softer. He didn't say anything, only held her closer and frowned more, not that she could see.

He really was starting to care a little too much for his liking, but there was no going back now. He wondered if there was a way he could keep her here, or maybe he could go with her…he sighed. If she couldn't stay here, then how could he expect himself to stay there? Still…maybe he could. He'd think more on it later…

He looked down, noticing she had been quiet for a while, and found her to be half asleep. He smiled and nudged her, waking her slightly.

"Perhaps you should go to bed," he suggested. She shook her head clinging slightly to him.

"I don't wanna." She said childishly, burying her face in his side. He grinned slightly, poking her side and causing her to jump with a peep.

"If you insist, but I doubt you can stay up long," he taunted slightly. She huffed and poked his side back.

"I can stay up, I once stayed up for a week!" She boasted. She didn't mention she had to take two hour naps everyday to last that long but even that was still fairly impressive.

"Why stay up for so long?" he asked, raising a brow curiously.

"Well...I kinda had mild insomnia…and I was staying up so I could hang out with a friend everyday since we could only hang out at like 6 in the morning and I couldn't sleep in the first place, figured I might as well stay up…" She said sheepishly. He shook his head and flicked her forehead.

"You shouldn't do that, it's bad for you…no wonder you have bags under your eyes…" he tsked as she rubbed her forehead, glaring.

"So what, I'm working on them…" she pouted, somewhat self-consciously. He smiled and kissed her gently, catching her off guard but she melted into it just as quickly. Of course he pulled away far too soon for her liking but she said nothing. He smiled softly at her, if somewhat sadly.

"Just take care of yourself when you go home…" he said quietly. Her heart sank a bit as she remembered, nodding mutely.

She really didn't want to go home. Not without him at least.

He sighed and ran his fingers through her hair, pushing her back as he gave her butterfly kisses down her neck. Her breath hitched and she blush deeply as he did, sighing almost inaudibly. He kissed her temple gently.

"Go to sleep." He whispered gently, and she couldn't help but feel her eyelids grow heavy. 'Did he…cast…a sleep spell…?' she asked herself mentally though her thoughts blurred together as she slipped away into unconsciousness, only faintly acknowledging the warm body laying beside her and holding her closely as she did.

* * *

><p>The next day came and all of them had gotten up early and began to travel the short distance. It was only in the matter of a couple hours that they reached Solaria. Immediately they spread out to find out what they could about the book, Zel went with Amelia, Lina with Gourry, and Emily with Xellos. From what they could gather the temple wouldn't let anyone see the book in fear of it being stolen. Lina was frustrated with this.<p>

"How are we gonna get a hold of that book?" wondered Lina out loud as she dug into the third double portioned lunch dish out of 12 dishes. Emily watched her eat in amazement, still unable to comprehend just how much Lina could eat in one sitting.

"We could always sneak in and steal it, not like we haven't before," said Zelgadis calmly, taking a sip of his black coffee," or we could use you're preferred method and simply blow the temple up…though that might destroy the book and I'd rather not go through the hassle that would undoubtedly cause…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Lina sighed, leaning back in her chair, "But what can we do? I guess sneaking in is our only option…"

Emily quietly looked at Xellos as he sipped his tea, pleasantly smiling as always. She knew Xellos really could just teleport in and grab the book unless there was a holy barrier around it. Even that, though, couldn't really hold him off unless it was that powerful which she doubted it was (of course what does she know?) Still, it wasn't Xellos's style to just go in and do it himself, it wasn't as fun that way. Also she didn't really want it to end so quickly herself, wanting to spend as much time with them as possible.

Yet she had a bad feeling that the longer they took to get the book the more likely something would go wrong. That's how it always worked with the Slayers, that's how the plots began. This time, however, she'd be caught up in it and she wasn't sure how well she could handle that. She thought in silence of ways they could break in though she couldn't think of anything herself. She wished it wasn't so complicated! If she was watching them from home she'd be able to see a way for them to get in, but she wasn't home, she was IN the situation…how troublesome.

"…maybe Amelia could use her influence to get us in?" Lina commented, though Amelia countered that she wouldn't feel comfortable misusing her power like that. Lina argued that it would be to help a friend, not just for selfish reasons, but Amelia was still uncertain. Emily wasn't even sure it'd work in the first place.

They shot off more random ideas though none of them really seemed satisfying, Emily stared at her plate in deep contemplation. She looked so lost in thought Xellos almost wondered if she was thinking or really depressed. He nudged her gently and she looked at him calmly, completely normal.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, she nodded.

"Yeah…just trying to think of something…though I'm coming up with dead ends…" she replied, sighing. He smiled at her and pat her head.

"We'll come up with something, don't worry." he said simply. She nodded with a small smile and resumed eating, having forgotten she hadn't finished yet. He looked back at the others as they discussed the matter over and thought quietly to himself.

He didn't want to upset Emiri, but he was honestly considering destroying the temple and the book with it. He didn't know how she'd take it, but he at least expected her to be mad at him and sad that she'd never see her family again. Then there was the chance that he could go with her. Of course, he wondered what Beastmaster would do if he just left. He wondered if she could kill from him another dimension. Would she care if he left? Xellos prided himself in being a faithful and competent servant to his Master, not to mention loyal…but he always knew she could make another servant just as useful.

So that leaves the question of whether or not to follow this strange but cute girl he's found himself enamored with. What would he do in her world? Would he have his powers? Would he even still be a mazoku? Where could he live if not? How would he get by? It really was a risk to think so recklessly and normally Xellos did not think like this. Normally he didn't care much for humans, he found them amusing and some interesting like Lina. Yet, somehow, this girl formed in him a "heart" of sorts and made her home there.

He thought about this a lot, he went over the same questions and the same answers he knew but he still couldn't quite grasp the complexity of the situation. He wasn't himself and yet he was, and it did honestly bother him. There was also another question he's thought about recently…

Why was she brought here in the first place?

It wasn't everyday that a random person is brought into an unfamiliar situation just by coincidence. He didn't believe there was anything coincidental about her being here, or that book suddenly appearing. Yet he didn't feel as if there was a threat coming, at least not at the moment.

Part of him thought she was brought here to stay. She certainly adapted, though he wondered if she could last. He wondered if she fit in at home. He remembered her saying once that she felt she wasn't meant to be born into her world and yet she could think of no place she fit better except in her imagination.

There was also the ridiculous (maybe) notion that she was brought here for him. He believed it to be infatuation when she first laid eyes on him, and upon her explanations he believed he was right. Yet what she felt seemed far stronger than that, and he had also felt a lingering sense of shame with it as well.

Like she knew it was pathetic to love someone that wasn't supposed to exist. A "character" from a show she liked. He was real to her now though and that shame faded, having disappeared entirely upon their "get together."

The deep amount of thought he was putting into this situation most likely wasn't necessary. Why not just leave it as it is? If there was more to it then it would come up. For now…

He settled on leaving with her when the time came. If he could, that is. He didn't know what would happen or how he'd manage, but as strange as this whole scenario had been, he, himself, was feeling strange.

In the end, he just didn't want to say goodbye to her.

Never.

What Xellos wants, he gets, and more than anything he wanted this girl. It was the most insane thing a mazoku could want, and he was still sickened by the emotions that shouldn't exist, but it was true. Given, though, the reactions to the positive emotions was fading slightly into a numb ache. He had no way to tell if that was normal or not, but he didn't question it since it'd be impossible to gain an answer for now.

All he had to do now was wait until that got the book.

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><p>AN: Yeah, yeah, not a lot of dialogue and a lot of mental thought in my story, I know. It's my writing style I guess, though I'll try to tone it down and work in more dialogue. Still working on some bits but I'm hoping that for a random little story I whipped up this is good.

I'll do my best~! Even if it's not a story ya wanna read, at least I'm getting my kick out of it and it's getting me to update (for some blasted reason I never update, even though I have a story waiting to be updated aside from this one lol)

If anything, view this story as a lesson in discipline: EMIRI. UPDATE. REGULARLY.

Oh well, R/R~!


	6. A Dark New Twist

A/N: And hello again~ I've had Ch. 5 done for a while now, but I wanted to finish Ch. 6 before I uploaded it~ since not a lot happened in Ch. 5 and all…

But yeah, here ya go~

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><p>The next day they walked towards the temple, deciding that sneaking in might as well do for a plan. Emily could feel her heart race as they neared it; it was almost time to go home…<p>

They stopped behind some trees near the temples and noticed no one around, so quietly and cautiously they entered, keeping an eye out as they made their way towards the book. Fortunately their weren't really many people in their path, most of them they could just hide from and sneak past, a few others a simple sleep spell would do.

It was rather anticlimactic, Emily thought, but then again not everyday or adventure could be an amazing fight against Shabranigdo or a mazoku lord. It wasn't long though until they were lost in the surprisingly large temple.

"Ah, great…" Lina mumbled, looking back and forth between a four way corridor section, "What way do we go?"

"We could each go a different way…" Amelia suggested, looking down all the halls as well, "You and Mr. Gourry can go down the left, Mr. Xellos and Emily could take the right, and Mr. Zelgadis and I could go forward…"

"Works for me!" Lina grinned and grabbed Gourry, surprising him a bit as they set off down one direction. Zelgadis just shook his head at them and went off with Amelia. Emily shyly smiled up at the mazoku beside her, who smiled back and led her down the third hallway. He placed his arm around her as he did, though she noticed he seemed slightly stiff beside her. She blinked in slight concern.

"Are you alright, Xel?" she asked quietly, looking up at him. He nodded, smiling still.

"I just don't like being in holy temples, being a mazoku and all…" he answered simply though she thought it was a strange answer. It made…sense, she guessed, but she thought Xellos was stronger than that…

And now that she thought about it…she hadn't seen one religious item sense they entered the corridors past the main entry way and altar of the temple. It all seemed so…empty. Now that she really noticed it, she felt a sickness settle in her stomach, uneasiness rising. She didn't like this place, she felt something…wrong with it. Very wrong.

"Is this really even a temple?" she asked, her voice softer as she gently clung to his shirt, looking straight ahead. He looked at her surprised, could she tell as well?

"…I honestly don't know…I don't think so…" he said finally, frowning slightly. He wondered why he didn't notice earlier but the moment they entered the temple he, himself, felt something very off with it. He felt something almost ominous about it, and he was surprised to find she was sensitive to its vibe as well. He felt her uneasiness and lightly squeezed her shoulder.

Something was definitely up with this place.

Xellos stopped abruptly as a corner and peered around it, as did Emiri. They saw two men talking, dressed as priests though having their suspicions about the temple they wondered if anyone in the temple really was (besides Xellos, technically). Emily couldn't hear what was being said though she figured Xellos could. After a minute the men parted ways, one coming down the hall towards them. Emily froze up but Xellos merely pulled her closer and teleported.

The man walked on by and Xellos and her reappeared once again in the spot the men had been in previously. Xellos followed the other man, going down the hallway with Emily trailing behind. Would he lead them to the book?

After a few minutes of tailing him, they finally reached a mysterious set of double doors. The man pulled out a set of keys and unlocked them as he slipped inside; Xellos waited a moment before grabbing her once again and teleporting inside after the man. Emily decided teleportation felt really weird…

Xellos hid in a dark corner behind a banner, pulling Emily behind him though with enough room for her to move and see. She blinked as she looked around the windowless room, only a few candles lit it, and none of them were close enough to reveal the two, even if the banner hadn't been hanging there. Two candles illuminated a painting on the other side of the room and she felt her stomach do flips. It was a painting, much resembling the last supper, though on the table was an woman with feather wings, desperately trying to stop her wings from being cut off by the man in the center where Jesus was supposed to stand.

The men all wore strange, demonic masks, the middle man's resembling something akin to Shabranigdo. She realized with a sense of dread that the other's masks were probably meant to represent the other Mazoku Gods and the mazoku lords of the Red universe as she gazed at the wolf -like and dolphin-like ones.

The painting was a mock of the original in her universe, though she found it strange since there was no Jesus or Christianity in general in the Slayers world. Emily, herself, was Catholic though she was usually very open minded as well, having bisexual, gay, atheist, and even wiccan friends. As long as they didn't disrespect her beliefs, she wouldn't disrespect theirs. Yet even with her diverse friends, she was very loyal to her religion; she didn't openly publicize it like many extremists but she also wasn't afraid to admit her religion, which was enough in her opinion.

This painting, however, even if her religion didn't exist in this realm it was unmistakable of its mock and horrid reference to the beautiful painting in her world. Just what kind of temple was this? She felt very sick looking at it, clutching Xellos's cape as she finally looked over at the man they had followed inside. She noticed Xellos turn his head slightly to look at her in concern and confusion but at the sound of a click both of them looked back at the man, the painting somewhat forgotten in her mind.

The man had opening a class case containing the very book they were looking for. He seemed to be inspecting it, as if to make sure it was the real one. Xellos decide to make his move as he slinked over, almost like a shadow, and silently whacked the man upside the head with his staff, making a loud crack as it hit. Emily winced and watched the man fall unconscious with a faint sign of blood in his hair. Well, that was one way to get what you want. Xellos picked up the book and looked it over, frowning as he felt a strange aura come from it. Emily walked over, refusing to look at the painting, and looked at it as well.

"So is it really it?" she asked, feeling chills as she looked at the obviously demonic symbol on the cover. He nodded as he opened it and peered through it.

"Yes, by the looks of it…It's giving off a rather unpleasant aura…" he responded absentmindedly. What a horrid book, he thought as he looked at some of the illustrations and read some of the things in it. Emily peered in it as well, eyes widening a bit.

"There's a lot or similarities to things in my world…it's like…." she swallowed a bit as her nervousness grew, "…it's like it's a satanic bible…only…a red universe version of it…" He frowned, looking at her.

"Satanic?" He asked, never having heard the term before obviously. She nodded and explained.

"We have all kinds of religions in my universe. I'm Catholic, a branch under Christianity, believing in one God who sent his only son Jesus Christ to earth to be crucified for our sins so we mankind could have a chance at Heaven…Heaven is the good afterlife of course, then there's Hell….where Satan rules, also known as Lucifer who was once the most beautiful angel in Heaven before he grew vain in thinking he was more powerful than God and was cast down into Hell. Satan is out Shabranigdo I guess you could say, only I think more horrible…"

"He certainly seems it if this book is anything to go by…" Xellos muttered, showing obvious distaste for some of the things written in the book.

"So naturally Satanism is the opposing religion to Christianity, it's worshipping the devil, Satan. This book is probably the universal equivalent to the satanic bible…" She finished, shuddering ad looking away from it. What an odd twist in the Slayers world, of all places. Is this what brought her here? This unholy book?

Xellos paused on a page as he skimmed it, it was a spell of sorts. A summoning spell calling things from other dimensions. He wondered if this was what brought Emily to him…did the men of this temple summon her here? If not then who? It was obvious the book had been here before her, it had been the one to bring her here. Why, though? He glanced at the painting he noticed her looking at before, wondering what it meant to her.

"About that painting…" he started and immediately noticed her shudder.

"That painting…it's referencing a famous painting we have in my universe…only ours is called "The Last Supper" and it's a beautiful depiction of Jesus Christ's last supper with his disciples before his crucifixion. This painting, though…I can't even stand to look at it, it makes me want to cry…why do these things exist here? This is the Red universe, there's Shabranigdo and Ceiphied the generic equivalent of Satanism come around?" She asked allowed, now clinging to his arm. She really wanted to leave this temple, if this book was her ticket home she wasn't sure she wanted to get on board with it.

He closed the book and rubbed her back gently, she really was sensitive to this he realized. He wondered if she had am ability to sense evil, but then again this unmistakable evil would give off an unpleasant vibe to anyone, even him. Her being of the opposing religion probably didn't help. He stopped his thoughts as he heard movement outside the door. He frowned, it was time to go.

"Time to go," he said, pulling her close when she nodded and teleporting out of their before anyone could come in. He stored the book away in his bag and both of them quickly searched around for the others. It wasn't long before they found them and all of them hurriedly made their way out of the temple. They all heard the rising voices down the hallways, Xellos figured they found out the book had been taken. They were fortunate enough to make a quiet getaway and all of them hurried back to the inn they were staying at.

* * *

><p>"That was no holy temple," Lina said bluntly once they were all in one of the inn rooms for privacy. It seemed Emily and Xellos weren't the only ones to notice the dark feeling about the temple.<p>

"No way in hell…lets see that book, Xellos." Zelgadis demanded; Xellos, his eyes open to show her was very serious, merely nodded and pulled it out. Emily avoided looking at it, it was almost childish of her but it honestly scared her. The others, of course, did take notice of her fear of it as they took it and looked it over themselves.

Lina frowned as she looked at it; this really was a sick book. It had very evil sounding rituals and ideas in it. Where in the world could this book have come from?

"…is this what brought Emily here?" She asked no one in particular as she skimmed through the pages. It wasn't long before she found the same spell Xellos had. "Hm…who would bring her here, though and why?" Of course no one had an answer for that.

Xellos decided to take the opportunity to tell them about what Emily had told him in the room they found the book in, no secret keeping this time. As he explained what Emily had said, the girl stayed quiet, clinging almost to Xellos. She was very afraid of what this all could mean, and she couldn't stop thinking about that picture, she had a feeling it meant something important but she was afraid to find out what. She really did want to cry at how horrible this all was. What happened to the friendly world she knew before? It was Slayers, her favorite show of all time, a Dungeons and Dragons based magic fantasy with humor, adventure, a little romance here and there, and awesome plots. This book wasn't apart of this word, it could be, yet here it was and here SHE was. She knew it was what brought her here, though she desperately wanted to know why. It was so unreal…

"Interesting…" Lina replied at the end of Xellos's explanation, her frown more deeply set. This certainly isn't what she expected at all, and she really didn't' want anything to do with the book.

"Lets just destroy it, I mean, are we really gonna use it to send Emily back?" Gourry spoke up, scratching the back of his head. He understood very little of what Xellos had said, but he knew that book was dangerous.

"Yeah, let's just destroy it, we'll find another way to get you home, Emily, is that okay?" Lina asked, looking at her. Emily nodded quickly, finally looking at the book for the first time since it had been pulled out. The apprehension and fear were very plain on her face for everyone to see.

"I'd rather die then let that thing be used to get me home…" she said quietly, staring at it as if the devil would spring out of it any moment. Lina nodded, turning back to the book in question.

Lina pointed at it and mumbled to herself an incantation, "…Rune Flare."

The book set fire almost instantly but immediately a strange scream came from it. Xellos shuddered and dropped it, clutching his head as did everyone else. Emily covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut as the screams seemed to grow louder, she heard a weird whispering in her head, it was in another language and the voice was hoarse and deep. Even though she had no idea what was being said, she knew it was something awful.

After a minute the screaming and whispering stopped, Xellos and Lina looked at the book and were shocked to find it completely unharmed, Zelgadis frowned while Amelia's eyes widened. Gourry just looked more confused.

"What the hell is going on here?" Zelgadis asked aloud while Lina picked up the book. She glanced over at Emily and noticed she was in a fetal position, still covering her ears. She was startled to find she was crying.

"Emily, are you alright?" Lina asked quickly and Xellos quickly dropped to her side, worry evident on his face. Lina took a step forward herself to comfort her but almost instantly Emily skidded back until her back hit the bed. She looked completely terrified as she stared at the book, seemingly oblivious to the streams from her eyes.

"Keep that thing away!" She half yelled, shaking slightly. Xellos stared at her cautiously before making his way over to her and sitting beside her. Lina looked at the book and back at Emily.

"…sure the scream was a little scary…but it's probably just a spell to keep anyone from destroying it…" Lina said gently but Emily turned to look at her, looking almost ready to burst into more tears.

"You didn't hear it?" she asked louder, Lina blinked in confusion.

"…the scream…heard what?" Lina asked, wondering what she meant.

"The whispering…you didn't…please tell me you heard it!" Emily asked, looking hysterical. Xellos gently rubbed her back though he looked alarmed as did Lina. Whispering?

"…no…..I didn't…..did anyone else?" Lina asked slowly, but everyone shook their head, stunned.

Emily stared at all of them, looking afraid for her life, "I heard whispering…that thing...or something…I…I don't know…it was in another language…I couldn't…understand it…" she said, her voice suddenly very quiet like a forced whisper. She was terrified, something had spoken to her and ONLY her. Xellos held her tightly and it helped calm her a little as she buried herself into him. His expression was almost unreadable except for the strange fear in his eyes, something that Lina had never seen before from him in all the time she had known him.

Lina herself was scared now, what was said to Emily? Who was talking to her? Just what the hell was going on?

"Can you repeat what was said at all?" Zelgadis asked, trying to be calm to keep from upsetting her more. She shook her head, the tears stopping much to their relief.

"No...It was fast…and harsh…like it was angry or mocking or…I don't know…." she said as she forcibly tried to regain her composure. This was no time to be breaking down, no matter how scared she was.

Lina sighed and she rubbed the back of her neck, this was going to be tough. "Maybe…we can find a telepathic to read her thoughts and see if they can find out what was said…then we can probably find a translator from there…"

"But where can we find a telepathic?" Amelia asked as she made her way over to the now calmer Emily and helped Xellos sooth her.

"I don't know…but maybe we can just go out in search of one, see if we catch wind of anything…" Lina said, looking at Zelgadis who simply nodded in agreement.

"What about the book?" Gourry asked suddenly and all of them looked at it. It seemed like an ordinary book now, save for the wicked symbol on the cover, but all of them knew better.

"Xellos…" Lina started, turning to him, "can you keep it safe somewhere? Maybe on Wolfpack Island somewhere? At least until we figure out what to do with it…"

Xellos silently nodded at her, no longer concerned with Zelas secretly trying to sneak it from him. His master wouldn't dare use such a book as this. He doubted she'd even want it on the island but at least it'd be safe there.

Lina turned to the rest, "We'll head out tomorrow and see what we can find…for now, let's try to relax and rest up. Remember to be careful; we don't want anyone finding out that it was us who snuck in…"

All of them nodded before leaving the room except for Amelia, Emily, and Xellos. Xellos looked at Amelia, "Stay with her until I come back, I'm going to take the book there right now." She nodded and he carefully pulled away from the poor girl. Emily looked up at him silently, and he gently patted her head, softly smiling.

"Be right back," he said reassuringly and teleported away. Emily stared at where he just was for a few moments before leaning against Amelia and closing her eyes. She didn't really want to be without him, he really did help calm her, but Amelia was nice too and a good friend; Xellos would be back soon, probably within a few minutes. She felt embarrassed now by her reaction…but that whispering terrified her, it told her something so evilly cruel, she could feel it. Even if she didn't know what was said…and she honestly hoped she wouldn't be possessed or anything, she was partially afraid to even joke about that kind of stuff with anyone.

Sure, she'd joke a bit, make a few cracks at _The Exorcist _or _The Haunting in Connecticut, _but she always stopped after a certain point. It was like tempting evil to do something horrible to her with her mocking. Just like there were some things that weren't okay to joke about with Christianity, there were some things even more dangerous to joke about when it came to the flip side of the coin.

Part of her was sure she would be okay, she was naturally anxious and paranoid after all, but another part of her knew she had to stay close to the group, especially Xellos. Even if she didn't end up getting possessed or something like that, she knew that something awful could (would? Hopefully not) happen to her if she got careless.

That painting popped into mind again, and she found herself wondering once again what it meant and if it meant more just a mockery?

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><p>AN: Well, this story is going in a weird and dark direction…honestly I came up with this chapter as typed it…so we'll see what happens next 0_o

Eh, hopefully I haven't bored or scared anyone away…or something…yeah….R/R~! ^_^;;


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